Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) says he is considering running for president in 2020, but even if he doesn’t run, he believes he has found a winning strategy for any Democrat seeking the nomination two years down the road.
Brown told The Columbus Dispatch Monday that he is not close to making a decision, but he’s not ruling it out.
“We’ll see later on about the presidential race. But we are thinking about it for the first time seriously,” he said, while his wife confirmed the reports on Twitter.
We’re thinking about it. https://t.co/MDJQX2SFRn
— Connie Schultz (@ConnieSchultz) November 12, 2018
Brown told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Monday he was able to succeed in Ohio where other Democrats failed because he kept his focus on issues important to workers.
Brown said his campaign strategy – supporting gay and transgender rights, gun control, and permissive abortion laws while staying focused on workers – should be the “blueprint” for any Democrat running in 2020 who wants to win the crucial Midwestern rust-belt states.
“As a progressive Democrat you can fight for workers and respect the dignity of work as I do… And I think that’s what Washington forgets about. Voters will vote for a strong progressive,” he added, if fellow Democrats follow his strategy of staying focused on workers while also supporting a liberal social agenda.
“I don’t compromise on civil rights, I don’t compromise on LGBTQ rights, or worker rights,” Brown said. “You can do that and stand up for what you believe and I think Ohio showed that on Tuesday.”
Watch Brown’s interview with MSNBC below:
Brown was the only Democratic politician to win a state-wide election in Ohio Tuesday, but he did not win by nearly as much as predicted. He won by six points over a relatively unknown and underfunded congressman, Republican Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH-16), instead of the 10 to 20 points that pollsters predicted.
Blaine Kelly, spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, told The Ohio Star that Brown should resign immediately upon deciding to run for president.
“When Sherrod Brown decides to run for the Democrat nomination he should do the right thing and resign from the Senate,” Kelly said. “Ohioans deserve to have two dedicated senators in Washington and Governor-elect Mike DeWine will appoint the perfect replacement. Regardless of Brown’s final decision, we look forward to President Trump’s re-election in 2020.”
Brown also cautioned Democrats against focusing their campaigns too much on the president.
“There will be investigations in the House, as there should be, but Democrats do need to focus on those winning campaigns around the country where we talked infrastructure, we talked healthcare prices, especially keeping drug prices down,” he said. “The blueprint for that focuses on workers, regardless of what type of work you do, punching a clock or earning a salary, putting workers first, looking for what we can do as a nation to support work and getting drug prices down.”
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Anthony Accardi is a writer and reporter for The Ohio Star.
So, all you Ohio voters that went out and cast your ballot for the wife beating, dead beat dad Sherrod Brown to be your Senator for six more years, what do you think about this news? ONE WEEK after you reelected him to represent your vote in D.C. for six more years, he now is considering abandoning the job you voted him in to do. I hope he does run. The President will wipe the earth with him. But Sherrod may have to get in line as I’m convinced our RINO EMBARRASSMENT Kasich, is most likely going to turn Democrat, which he should because that’s what he really is, and run for President again. Even though that may not have been what his “Postman” father would have done. Just Sayin….